Review: All the Stars and Teeth by Adalyn Grace

Hey all, Dani here.

Welcome back to my blog, and I hope you’re ready for my second review of the day. I’m really hoping that I’ll be able to keep up with all of this blogging after next week. I admit that I’m getting a little bit worried about the strain and drain of going back to my old regular job position; it is a lot more physically demanding than the one I’m on now. The last time I made the transition from this position to my regular position I missed out on a lot of blogging, and I’ve started to really feel good about what I’m doing and the content I’m making. With any luck I’ll be able to use some time from my weekends to prep up posts for the week ahead.

Anyway, I should probably say that I did receive a digital galley of this book from NetGalley and Imprint, but I didn’t get around to reading it until I had my finished OwlCrate hardcover. Either way, being approved for early copies does not affect my rating or review, but I have to put this disclaimer in here because that’s a requirement when you receive a book in exchange for an honest review.

All right, let’s jump into the actual review now.

Book Details

Format: Hardcover

Pages: 384

Publisher: Imprint

Publication Date: February 4, 2020

ISBN: 1250307783 (ISBN13: 9781250307781)

Summary

She will reign.

As princess of the island kingdom Visidia, Amora Montara has spent her entire life training to be High Animancer—the master of souls. The rest of the realm can choose their magic, but for Amora, it’s never been a choice. To secure her place as heir to the throne, she must prove her mastery of the monarchy’s dangerous soul magic.

When her demonstration goes awry, Amora is forced to flee. She strikes a deal with Bastian, a mysterious pirate: he’ll help her prove she’s fit to rule, if she’ll help him reclaim his stolen magic.

But sailing the kingdom holds more wonder—and more peril—than Amora anticipated. A destructive new magic is on the rise, and if Amora is to conquer it, she’ll need to face legendary monsters, cross paths with vengeful mermaids, and deal with a stow-away she never expected… or risk the fate of Visidia and lose the crown forever.

I am the right choice. The only choice. And I will protect my kingdom.

Set in a kingdom where danger lurks beneath the sea, mermaids seek vengeance with song, and magic is a choice, Adalyn Grace’s All the Stars and Teeth is a thrilling fantasy for fans of Stephanie Garber’s Caraval and Sarah J. Maas’s Throne of Glass series.

My Thoughts

Rating: 4.5 stars

First off, let me say this, it isn’t pictured here, but I actually really love the OwlCrate edition cover. Nothing against this one, because it is lovely as well, but the OwlCrate one has little pops of color that just make it so much more attractive to stare at. Instead of it all being a blue monochrome, there’s little bits of like green and coral and it is fantastic.

The magic system in this book is…rather interesting, honestly. It definitely plays a big part in the overall worldbuilding for this duology, which I found to be fascinating. Speaking of, I loved looking at the world map in the book as well.

Also, the characters were pretty darn cool too. Especially Bastian; I definitely was a fan of Bastian from the moment we met him. He just has this pirate-like charisma and charm to him and I was hooked.

I actually don’t know what it was about this book. Maybe I read it at the right time, but I was hooked on it so quickly and I just flew through the story. When I would stop reading I couldn’t wait to pick it back up again.

I’ve seen some reviews since from people who found the characters to be bland and shallow and the story to be nothing all that exciting, and it’s one of those situations where I can’t help but wonder if we were reading the same story. Or maybe it is a situation like mine with my review from earlier today (My Lady Jane) where the other reviewer just wasn’t in the proper mindset for this story. Or you know, it could always be that not every story is for every reader, which is totally fine. It’s just fascinating how five different people can read the same book and walk away with five completely different opinions on the subject. Reading is wild.

I loved watching Amora get to travel her kingdom and learn more about the peoples and the magic, and to see her start to grow as she added this new knowledge to what she already knew. And to see her get stronger mentally and physically through the journey. I’m really curious what will happen in the sequel/conclusion, and I’m definitely looking forward to seeing what that cover will look like.

Where to Get a Copy

You can grab your own copy of this book from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-a-million, Book Depository, or your local independent bookstore through IndieBound.

You can also check with your local library.